Vigilant News

Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty.

Ryan Delarme

Members of Congress Admonish Biden’s Yemeni Airstrikes as Unconstitutional
The assaults on the Houthis have heightened concerns regarding potential American intervention in another regional conflict.

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On Thursday evening, the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of airstrikes in Yemen, which sparked international concern regarding the extent to which the strikes will contribute to the escalating regional risk of conflict. Congress has since expressed skepticism regarding Joe Biden’s legal authority to conduct the strikes.

RELATED – U.S. Forces Engage Houthis Targeting “Israel-Connected” Red Sea Vessels

In a statement, Biden said, “Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”

In retaliation for Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Houthis of Yemen attacked and obstructed commercial vessels bound for or departing from Israeli locations in the Red Sea. Recent weeks have seen the near-total closure of the Israeli port of Eilat due to the attacks.

The Houthi blockade of Israeli commerce in the Red Sea may acquire renewed international legitimacy in light of Israel’s alleged proceedings before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, for genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The strikes in Yemen more directly implicated the United States in Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which are supported by Iran, similar to the Houthis. In reference to the issue of presidential authority, Biden termed the strikes a “defensive action” and pledged additional measures to secure the Red Sea. Biden stated:

“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

Many have expressed concern as to whether or not Biden’s actions are indeed “protecting” Americans, as Americans abroad have been increasingly targeted by Islamic extremists since the bombardment of Gaza began, and as some believe that the U.S. could potentially stand trial next to Israel at the Hague for committing war crimes.

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, members of Congress from both parties raised concerns regarding the constitutionality of the operation.

“It’s great to see the bipartisan opposition to this from the progressive left and populist right,” said Aída Chávez of Just Foreign Policy. “It’s appalling that instead of acting to stop Israeli war crimes, the Biden administration chose to further damage both our global reputation and our Constitutional system by launching a new unauthorized conflict against Yemen.”

A cadre of progressives initially commented on Biden’s actions, followed by Republican members of the Freedom Caucus like reps Thomas Massie and Matt Gaetz.

First, we saw Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. raise his concerns:

“The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict. That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.”

“Section 2C of the War Powers Act is clear: POTUS may only introduce the U.S. into hostilities after Congressional authorization or in a national emergency when the U.S. is under imminent attack. Reporting is not a substitute. This is a retaliatory, offensive strike.”

Followed by Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.:

“.@POTUS is violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval. The American people are tired of endless war.”

These progressives were then supported by their republican counterparts like Rep Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, who said:

“Only Congress has the power to declare war. I have to give credit to @RepRoKhanna here for sticking to his principles, as very few are willing to make this statement while their party is in the White House.”

He was joined by Matt Gaetz:
“Ro is absolutely correct on this,”
As well as Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah.
“I totally agree with @RoKhanna. The Constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation.”
Additionally, Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene, Anna Paulina Luna, Sara Jacobs, Cori Bush, Summer Lee and Val Hoyle all expressed dismay that the strikes had not been authorized by Congress. Contrarily, and unsurprisingly, a number of members of Congress vehemently opposed the proposition. Particularly we saw Rinos and the new Liberal Neocons pushing back.

U.S. Forces Engage Houthis Targeting “Israel-Connected” Red Sea Vessels

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The United States conducted airstrikes on a location in Yemen that was reportedly besieged by Houthi rebels aided by Iran and allegedly a threat to maritime travel via the Red Sea on Saturday morning.

The assaults occur one day after a joint assault by U.S. and British forces against the militants, who had been disrupting commerce in the vital waterway and compelling U.S. vessels to intercept their missile launches.

RELATED – Houthis: The United States Will Pay a ‘Heavy Price’ for Biden Strikes in Yemen

Saturday morning, journalists for the Associated Press reported hearing a solitary explosion. The United States issued a 72-hour warning to commercial vessels to avoid the Red Sea prior to the attack.

Along the coast of the Red Sea, the Houthis, one of three principal factions in the ongoing Yemeni Civil War, occupy a substantial portion of the land. Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor of the United States, issued a warning in December that “appropriate action” would be taken in response to Houthi aggression.

“We have made clear that the entire world needs to step up together — not the U.S. alone, but all of us working together — to deal with this — this emerging challenge that the — that the Houthis present, backed by Iran,” he said. “We are going to take appropriate action in consultation with others, and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing.”

There are fears that U.S. retaliation will lead to further targeting of U.S. soldier and citizens abroad, as well as potential for total war in the Middle East.

 

 

 

Journalist Gonzalo Lira Reportedly Deceased, Body in Ukrainian Custody

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Chilean-American novelist and journalist Gonzalo Lira has reportedly passed away in Ukrainian custody, as reported by his father. The sad news was brought to the attention of many via a tweet from American journalist Tucker Carlson.

“Gonzalo Lira, Sr. says his son has died at 55 in a Ukrainian prison, where he was being held for the crime of criticizing the Zelensky and Biden governments,” wrote Tucker Carlson on X. “Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, but the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture.”

Lira was apprehended by Ukrainian authorities in May on the grounds that he “publicly justified” the Russian invasion, as stated in a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) press release.

As reported at the time by ZeroHedge contributor Space Worm, the statement from Kiev stated that Lira “has the citizenship of one of the countries of Latin America” but omitted the fact that he was born in California and is also a U.S. citizen.

Following his release, Lira said he was tortured in a Ukrainian prison, explaining that “two thugs held my head and used a toothpick to scratch the whites of my left eye, while asking me if I could still read if I had just one.” Lira informed followers that he was making a mad-dash via motorcycle towards the Hungarian border.

As reported by journalist Alex Rubernstein, the Ukrainian penitentiary where Lira was detained disregarded his claim that he suffered from double pneumonia affecting both lungs.

“I have had double pneumonia (both lungs) as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema (swelling of the body). All this started in mid-October, but was ignored by the prison. They only admitted I had pneumonia at a Dec. 22 hearing,” reads the letter. “I am about to have a procedure to reduce the edema pressure in my lungs, which is causing me extreme shortness of breath, to the point of passing out after minimal activity, or even just talking for 2 minutes.”

In response to Lira’s reported death, his father allegedly wrote:

 “I cannot accept the way my son has died. He was tortured, extorted, incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US Embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibility of this tragedy is the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American President, Joe Biden.”

2024: The Year of Genetically Modified Synthetic Milk

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It’s not milk, but they claim that it is “identical to what cows make.” The claim of “substantially equivalent” is made for other GMO products as well, but it is all marketing propaganda designed to deceive the FDA and consumers.

Bored Cow’s fake milk contains “ProFerm,” a “microflora” that imitates whey protein. This product was developed by their partner Perfect Day, “a consumer biology company with the goal of creating new ways to produce the foods you love today, beginning in the dairy aisle.”

Using mass spectrometry, the Health Research Institute (HRI), a nonprofit independent laboratory headquartered in Fairfield, Iowa, analyzed multiple samples of Bored Cow’s “original” flavor milk to verify the claim that the synthetic protein it contained was identical to natural milk protein. These outcomes were compared to samples of natural milk from grass-fed cows by HRI.

A fungicide and 92 unidentified molecules were among the materials detected in “synthetic” milk protein utilized by over a dozen food brands distributed by major supermarket chains, according to their testing.

The ingredients listed for Bored Cow’s “original” flavor are:

“Water, animal-free whey protein (from fermentation), sunflower oil, sugar, less than 1% of vitamin A, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin D2, riboflavin, citrus fiber, salt, dipotassium phosphate, acacia, gellan gum, mixed tocopherols (antioxidant), calcium potassium phosphate citrate, natural flavor.”

This mélange is questionably made, starting with the sunflower oil, a typically genetically modified seed oil known for its inflammatory properties. It is not specified on the label whether the whey protein was generated via yeast genetic engineering. Additionally, sugar is the primary input for fermentation, and they are utilizing high fructose corn syrup, a GMO product as well. Everything about this “milk” is awful and artificial.

In addition to a multitude of unidentified compounds, synthetic milk was deficient in several essential micronutrients that are present in natural milk, including vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and certain B vitamins. Furthermore, the synbio product lacked or contained only minute quantities of carnitine forms that are “equivalent to essential components for energy metabolism.”

“There were 69 important nutrients present in natural milk, most of which were completely absent in synbio milk. A few were present in small or trace amounts,” according to HRI’s Chief Scientist and CEO John Fagan, Ph.D. Fagan — a molecular biologist and former cancer researcher at the National Institutes of Health — has been a worldwide pioneer in testing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Furthermore, only eight of the compounds could be identified. The remaining ones were labeled as “uncharacterized.”

“The 92 unknown molecules we found have never been studied by scientists. So we don’t know whether they’re safe or dangerous, whether they are nutrients or toxins,” Fagan added.

Fagan expressed concern regarding the presence of Benthiavalicarb-isopropyl, an agricultural fungicide, in the Bored Cow samples.

“I think the reason this fungicide is present is because they added it to the fermentation process to inhibit the growth of fungi that could contaminate the production system,” he said, “So the things that we see here are not really good for us, let me put it that way.”

HCI’s official report has not been published yet.

But suffice to say, these results contradict Perfect Day’s claim that its product — used by Bored Cow — is “identical to what cows make.”

Read more HERE.

Houthis: The United States Will Pay a ‘Heavy Price’ for Biden Strikes in Yemen
Which begs the question: is U.S. involvement in Israel's war actually making Americans safer?

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On Friday, the Shiite Houthi terrorist organization issued a dire threat against American President Joe Biden, stating that he will “pay a heavy price” for approving airstrikes against Houthi assets in Yemen alongside the United Kingdom.

Thursday marked the joint declaration by the Pentagon and the British Ministry of Defense that they had successfully orchestrated dozens of strikes against strategic Houthi targets with the objective of constraining the terrorists’ capacity to disrupt global shipping. In October, the Houthis, who assert their legitimacy as the Yemeni government, initiated hostilities against Israel in retaliation against the bombing campaign in Gaza.

The Houthi group declared its intention to initiate actions against commercial vessels “connected to Israel” in the vicinity of Yemen. The term “connected to Israel” is applied liberally to any vessel belonging to the United States, as the U.S. is typically seen across the Middle East as Israel’s primary partner and facilitator.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Suez Canal—critical international maritime routes—lies in the waters offshore of Yemen. Consequently, between January 2023 and January 2024, commercial shipping traffic in the region decreased by 90 percent annually, inundating African ports with vessels en route around the Cape of Good Hope.

In 2021, under the administration of President Joe Biden, the Houthis were removed from the list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations maintained by the State Department. Biden authorized an agreement in September, just prior to the Hamas attack on Israel, to unfreeze $6 billion worth of Iranian assets in exchange for Iran’s release of five American hostages. It was emphasized by the Biden administration that “This does not constitute a ransom.”

“Washington and London must acknowledge responsibility for aggravating the situation at the Red Sea, and the militarization of the body of water,” Brigadier General Abdullah bin Amer, a Houthi leader in the terror group’s “Moral Guidance Department,” said on Friday, according to the Iranian state propaganda outlet PressTV. “They must be ready to embrace a heavy price, and bear all the deleterious consequences of this open aggression.”

Bin Amer promised that the Houthis would “target their bases across the region in case the United States and the United Kingdom increase their attacks.” He also insisted the Houthis would continue their “operations in the Red Sea,” meaning the disruption of international commercial shipping.

An additional Houthi spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, verified the airstrikes on Friday, stating that the United States and the United Kingdom bombed 73 Houthi strategic assets without specifying what was targeted.

“The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished,” Saree warned.

Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi political leader, was quoted as saying, “Washington and London must prepare to pay a heavy price. Our country came under sneak and massive air, ship and submarine strikes. Doubtless, the attacks will cost them dearly.”

The British Ministry of Defense offered information on their bombing campaign, saying “One was a site at Bani in north-western Yemen used to launch reconnaissance and attack drones. A number of buildings involved in drone operations were targeted by our aircraft.”

“The other location struck by our aircraft was the airfield at Abbs,” the Defense Ministry statement continued. “Intelligence has shown that it has been used to launch both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. Several key targets at the airfield were identified and prosecuted by our aircraft.”

“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen,” President Biden said in his own statement, “used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”